Former & Continuing Student Scholarships
Continuing Student Academic Criteria
The fall 2026/winter 2027 Continuing Student Academic Scholarship consideration is based on a student completing at least 12 BYU credit hours as a Daytime Continuing Student by the end of the fall 2025 semester. Former Students are considered Continuing Students if they have completed at least 12 credits of regular BYU coursework. Continuing and Former Students must complete the scholarship application by the appropriate deadline to be considered for scholarships.
If you have earned 12 credits and completed a Mission Deferment form, you will automatically be considered for an academic scholarship for the semester you return. You are not required to submit a new scholarship application while on your mission unless you want to be considered for additional scholarships.
Your BYU cumulative GPA must meet the cutoff to be awarded a scholarship. We will consider your BYU cumulative GPA after each fall semester. Cutoffs are determined by ranking students in their colleges and awarding scholarships until there are no more funds. If you have not declared a major by the February 1 deadline, you will be evaluated with other 'open major' students.
Continuing Student academic criteria are determined at the beginning of the awarding process. Because the cutoffs change each year, they are not published.
Departing/Returning Missionaries
Fall/winter scholarships awarded to you before you depart for your mission will be deferred for the time you are actually serving your mission, not for subsequent semesters. Your scholarship will automatically be reactivated before the semester/term you are scheduled to re-enroll at BYU.
Other Available Scholarships
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Toggle ItemFreshman Scholarships (awarded during senior year of high school)
Apply for freshman scholarships during your senior year of high school by the appropriate deadline, even if you plan to serve a mission before attending BYU.
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Toggle ItemPrivate Scholarships Administered by BYU
BYU administers private scholarships donated by individuals, companies, trusts, and other organizations for students who meet specific criteria, such as descendants of scholarship donors, members of a specific area, ward, or stake, or graduates of certain high schools. In such cases, BYU determines the recipients of these scholarships. Typically, the scholarships cover half or full Latter-day Saint tuition.
Though optional, we strongly recommend that you fill out the essay section of the scholarship application to be considered for all possible scholarships, since we often use the essay to identify which students fit the criteria for these scholarships. We also use information collected in the Geographical Information and the Descendant sections to award these scholarships, so we recommend filling out those sections as well.
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Toggle ItemFinancial Need-Based Scholarships
You must submit the FAFSA for the upcoming year by the January 20 deadline. You are not required to submit a new scholarship application when returning from your mission. However, if you have special circumstances, you should fill out the scholarship application by the appropriate deadline listed above and complete the essay in the 'Need' section of the application.
Need-based scholarships are awarded based primarily on financial need. Scholarships are typically awarded for half or full Latter-day Saint tuition. Need-based scholarships require completing the FAFSA by January 20 each year for the upcoming academic year.
Although optional, we also strongly recommend that you complete the financial need essay section of the scholarship application to be considered for all possible scholarships based on your circumstances.
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Toggle ItemDepartmental Scholarships
Departmental scholarships are awarded directly through the department. Most departments do not offer scholarships to new freshmen; however, you can check to see if your department awards scholarships to new freshmen by contacting them directly or reviewing the Departmental Scholarships page.